I'm here at the Black Goat with Candace Bethune, who is the Mayor of Arkham. I interviewed her to find outmore about the 3-sims that make up Miskatonic Valley, a living setting after HP Lovecraft. Candace and her staff are offering these sims as a RP resource for groups like October Undead, and I wanted to find out more.

Kal: Candace, this new sim is coming to life with the construction of Miskatonic University and Miskatonic Valley. Tell us a little about the sim theme and your vision for these new locations.

Candace: Well, if I'm going to talk about the sims, I really must also talk about my business partner Ceres Eilde. The vision is as much hers as it is mine. She has done a lot of the actual building, and we've worked on the "feel" of the place together.

Our vision is of a sim, or rather series of sims, where lovers of HP Lovecraft, and of classic horror in general, can reside, role play, and just feel at home.

I should mention that when we started planning Miskatonic Valley, October Country still existed, and we hoped to expand on what they had built in terms of a Mythos community. We had and still have tremendous respect for what was built there, and were really crushed when it ended.

Kal: Yes, I echo that.

Candace: It was a wonderful place, and it's never been our intention to replace it. We wanted to be a sister community, and share resources and ideas.

Kal: I love that "yes and" kind of vibe here in many of the communities in SL. :)

Candace: I know! I love that, too.

Kal: The building here is great! From underground tunnels to the houses and shops and town buildings. Good stuff!

Who else is on your creative and build team? Is it just you & Ceres?

Candace: Well, there is one other member of the "staff," if you will. That's my partner, EAR Oh. He's built quite a few... well, actually, I think I'll leave what he has built a surprise for the intrepid explorer!

...that'd be the under ground tunnels :) Maybe it *would* be best to mention that, so people know to look for them!

Kal: It does take a bit of exploration to find them - and explorers won't be disappointed!

Candace: Thank you! While we can't claim to have built everything here ourselves, I'd say about half of the structures are our own handiwork.

Apparently, Kal likes 'dem gams.

Kal: Your vision is exciting, and I, for one, can't wait to jump into the RP! Can you tell us a bit about where things are in the RP games and group?

Candace: Well, we've been wanting to encourage RP from the beginning. We've been asking people what they want in an RP sim, and we've been working hard to provide those kinds of settings.

Now we are finally trying to kick off the RP a little more formally, filling some key roles in the community, and holding more frequent events.

Kal: I think fall will be very conducive to that!

Candace: We still have LOTS of ideas for good characters, and are looking for players to fill some of them! I think we have good timing.

Kal: Summers can be slow, and of course, October is a prime month for HP Lovecraft fans!

Candace: It is, to be sure.

Kal: I've heard rumors of a Dark Carnival. What other activities are there here on Arkham?

Candace: We have been running at least one formal gathering a month, but recently have been stepping up the frequency. As you mention, this is the time of year for it. EAR Oh, who is a voice actor and a singer/songwriter IRL, has been offering some live readings of HPL and other classic horror and weird tales, often in the Starry Wisdom Church.

Kal: Ooooh! Those sound like a great time!

Candace: And the Carnival! Well, we are really excited about that.

Kal: Tell us more about the Carnival!

Candace: We plan to hold it in Mid-October, and the current plan is for 4 days of scheduled events, as well as ongoing games, rides, improptu performances and various surprises.

I can tell you that we'll start out with an opening party, and that the event will culminate in something truly sinister :)

Kalisten VanDornan rubs his boney hands together in aniticipation.

Candace: Hurray!

Kal: Holy dark source, that sounds excellent!

Candace: I am so glad that you think so!

Kal: Many SL'ers like to become involved by helping out. Are you looking for any kind of help or services?

Candace: We are *always* looking for help! We can use everything from builders and animators to folks who just have a clever idea to share for the roleplay. We would love to find some new performers (especially those with a dark bent to their acts) and we can always use moral support! Just come on down and enjoy the view of Arkham Harbor, and keep us company :)

Kal: Okay for folks to just IM you if they want to lend their scripting, building, texture, animation or performing talents?

Candace: Sure thing! My IMs sometimes get capped though, so if you've got something you want to be sure I won't lose, a notecard might be better.

Kal: Ah, good point. Notecards are better.

I must compliment you, by the way, on your excellent notecard ettiquete. You have the silver tongue and higher manners of a Mayor, as I have experienced myself. :) And I really like that.

Candace: Oh, you're very kind! I love the language, and try to treat it with respect.

Kal: Are there any particular features of Arkham that you'd like to point out to newcomers? A couple of be-sure-to-see places?

Candace: I'm afraid I could go on quite a bit on that subject! I'll limit myself, though. I think Arkham University is a must-see. We have a library, and conservatory, and a couple surprises in the attic.

Kal: Oh! Libraries - esp. Lovecraftian - are top in the list of favorite places for me.

Candace: There are also the outlying regions of Kingsport and Dunwich, which both contain their own sites to see. I'd especially recommend the Dunwich Ruins.

And of course, I would encourage visitors to do their own digging around to see what they will find!

Kal: So all three sims - Dunwich, Arkham and Kingsport - are all together in this wonderful land of Lovecraft?

Candace: That's right. The three of them make up Miskatonic Valley together.

Kal: Impressive!

Candace: Why thank you!

Kal: Any other resources people should know about? Groups? Web sites? Blogs?

Candace: We have a group for Miskatonic Valley residents, and have just started on for the RP. There is also a subscription service if people would prefer just to get announcements about events without using up a group. We do have a blog, but it's been idle for a while. That will be changing soon as our fall events begin.

The address for the blog is http://miskatonicvalley.blogspot.com/

Kal: Great poses here in the bar, BTW. :) Neat how you can just change your pose with the down-arrow key.

Candace: I do like them, yes!

Kal: Two more Q's and we'll warp. :)
Kal: *wrap! ha!
Kal: We'll wrap in a warped way!
Candace: yay!

Okay, now it gets really interesting.

Kal: A bit back to the RP...

Experienced SL RP'ers know that there are all ranges of RP GMs: from the super-strict to the totally kick-back. What's the philosophy behind the RP at Miskatonic?

Candace: I think you'll find that we are quite a bit toward the "kick-back" end of the spectrum. We have debated how to approach it quite a bit.

Our plan at this time to to encourage folks to play as little or as much as they like in the sims, and to preferably attend as many of our scheduled events as possible, but we will not be rules lawyering!

I come from a background that started with tightly run D&D games in my youth, to more free-form LARPs later on. I find I've had much more fun in the more laid-back environments.

Kal: Ah! Good to hear that you are an exprienced role player. That's always a big plus.

Candace: Oh, yes! I am a certified nerd!

Kal: hee hee!
Kalisten VanDornan nerd-high-fives Candace.

Candace: Woot!

Candace: Actually, all three of us on the "staff" here are gamers from way back.

Kal: That's a great mix for super sims, in my opinion. :)

Kal: Now, this question might be one you weren't expecting, but tell me what you think about it.

Candace: Ok :)

Er, can anyone see us in here?

Kal: Have you or will you be considering any movie projects on the sim? Machinima style.

Candace: That's a very intriguing question.

We hadn't made any plans, but I think it could be a really fascinating project. We hope that we've made an attractive setting here.

If any of us knew how to use the necessary software, we might be doing it!

Kal: I might be able to help there! We'll chat more about that later! ;)

Candace: Oh, how wonderful!

Kal: I personally love SL movie projects.

Candace: I do, too. It's just that I am a babe in the woods when it come to machinima.

Kal: Candance, before we close, do you have any questions for me?

Candace: I'd like to know much more about October Undead. I assume you started it in response to the closing of OC?

Kal: Yes, that's right. A group of us that really enjoyed the OC campfire chats and old-time radio wanted to create a new place for those good times to happen again, so we put together a group and just took a shot at it.

Candace: That's terrific.

Kal: We chose to support multiple sites as a base philosophy, so that we could never "lose it all" at once again. We understand that places can come and go in SL, so we chose that strategy to keep the group together: base it on the gatherings rather then a specific place.

Candace: ah, that's very wise.

Kal: It has it's own set of challenges, but I'm happy to explore challenges! Esp. in SL with friends!

Candace: I think that's a very healthy way to look at it!

Everything changes, so flexibility is key to being happy.

Kal: ((join me for a sit on the mantle? hee hee))
Candace: Sure!
Kal: GREAT PIC!
Candace: Wonderful!
Candace: Haha! I wouldn't have thought of it, but this is a good spot
Kal: like a couple of crazy kids :D
Candace: Heh! Yay!

Kal: Any other Q's for me?

Candace: Just one... other than the Friday parties, what other events are there at OU? Is there a schedule for the fireside gatherings?

Kal: There is! We have a Google Calendar that the managers share and update with their events. :) You can view it at http://octoberundead.com/calendar

Candace: Oh, excellent!

Kal: Candace, THANK YOU for talking with us today about Arkham and Misktonic Valley!

Candace: It's my great pleasure, Kal! Thanks for chatting.

Kal: And thank you for being such a huge supporter of cool, fun places, groups and communities in SL!

Candace: We love SL, and we just want to help make it cooler if we can :)

Kal: See ya in the sewers, MIss Bethune! Heh!
Candace: Heh heh! See ya there!

- - - -

Miskatonic Valley offers a huge role play environment, a party place, lots of places to explore and things to find, strong filming locations, a shops area, and apartments, homes and shop spaces available for rent at very reasonable prices.